I already posted a comment, but there just isn't enough room in the comment, and I really wanted to say a bit more.

Disney isn't really using their brains on this one.

What I entertain myself with is heavily influenced by what I see other people enjoying and what is recommended to me, which also includes works of fan drawn art. This is especially true for anime, where I see tons of fan art (deviantart). Selling comic art on deviantart is very common, but usually by request.

Let us deny free-lance artists a means to make a living, discouraging those who want to pursue a career in comic art, which will inevitably reduce the number of quality, practiced artists for you to employ, which will then raise wages of artists as the workforce declines(or the quality of your work, if you just REFUSE to pay the money), costing you even more money in the long run.

Let us deny a service to fans, and just piss them off. That's always a good plan. I mean, they do realize - If someone is going to purchase "unofficial" work, they're going to do it regardless of how much you crack down on it. They'll just do it more quietly. Furthermore, buying unofficial work is not going to hinder sales in any way, and IF they can afford it, they'll probably buy both unofficial and official work, without one interfering with the other. If they can't, they aren't going to buy it anyway. In fact, those who CAN afford your ridiculous prices probably aren't buying the unlicensed stuff anyway.

And how idiotic is C.B.Cebulski? "Undercut by hack artists selling crappy, unlicensed $5 prints." No one buys crappy work. Free lance artists usually sell originals, not prints. Obviously he knows little about it, so I don't even understand why he's trying to be a dick.

Oh, and one last thing. I love how they called these artists "hacks who've never worked for Marvel." Seriously, do you have ANY clue how many free-lance artists Marvel pays without ever putting on the payroll? ... I'd say many of these artists have gotten a pay-check from Marvel at one time or another, so stop acting like your artists are somehow on a different level, simply because you don't know the free-lance artists' names.

Say MacDonalds had "fan artists" that made their own burgers. Most of the burgers suck, but a few fans make burgers that are pretty close, and also cheaper. Maybe some fans make burgers with a different taste entirely, but that taste finds some die hard proponents. Those proponents now prefer the fake "MacDonalds" burgers, and don't go to the real MacDonalds quite as often. They begin recommending "MacDonalds" fan burgers over the real MacDonalds. "Hey, you like MacDonalds? Try this burger, it's also MacDonalds too!"

They also are trying to protect their employees that they allow to sell work on the side, because they don't want to pay them a real wage. It's like having waiters that get by on tips rather than their actual paycheck.

Say MacDonalds had "fan artists" that made their own burgers. Most of the burgers suck, but a few fans make burgers that are pretty close, and also cheaper. Maybe some fans make burgers with a different taste entirely, but that taste finds some die hard proponents. Those proponents now prefer the fake "MacDonalds" burgers, and don't go to the real MacDonalds quite as often. They begin recommending "MacDonalds" fan burgers over the real MacDonalds. "Hey, you like MacDonalds? Try this burger, it's also MacDonalds too!"

They also are trying to protect their employees that they allow to sell work on the side, because they don't want to pay them a real wage. It's like having waiters that get by on tips rather than their actual paycheck.

Are you seriously trying to compare a drawing to a burger? I would just like to point out that it is illegal to sell food without a license, not because a company wants to protect their secret sauce, but because it is a health hazard. There is no reason to ban fan-art other than a certain company is trying to protect their bottom line, which is understandable. Companies are built to make money, not friends. Also Macdonalds is probably a scottish family name not a fast food chain, that would be Mcdonalds.

Say MacDonalds had "fan artists" that made their own burgers. Most of the burgers suck, but a few fans make burgers that are pretty close, and also cheaper. Maybe some fans make burgers with a different taste entirely, but that taste finds some die hard proponents. Those proponents now prefer the fake "MacDonalds" burgers, and don't go to the real MacDonalds quite as often. They begin recommending "MacDonalds" fan burgers over the real MacDonalds. "Hey, you like MacDonalds? Try this burger, it's also MacDonalds too!"

They also are trying to protect their employees that they allow to sell work on the side, because they don't want to pay them a real wage. It's like having waiters that get by on tips rather than their actual paycheck.

Gonna go with the guy above me said, and ask why you are comparing burgers and art.

Not sure what conventions you're going to, but in the Artist Alley of practical,y every anime con I attend (Anime Expo, Animazement, SakuraCon, etc.), the majority of the items for sale are prints of an original piece of artwork that the seller created using Disney, Marvel or other characters which are not their Intellectual Property. Some artists in the AA do take commissions, but the majority of them make their money selling prints.

I don't like the idea of US companies telling artists they can't sell fan art. While I don't agree with artists making a profit out of others' work, I also know that the originals from many of the licensed artists are too expensive for many people. Although I do not buy US artwork, I do buy originals drawn by Japanese animators and mangaka, so I'm well aware with how much some of those cost.

By telling people that their only recourse to owning something featuring a representation is either to buy originals, buy officially licensed prints or draw it yourself, you're doing a serious disservice to the majority of fans out there. Most people can't afford or don't want to spend the thousands of dollars necessary to buy artwork from some of these artists. Many more are dissatisfied with the quality of official artwork being released and want something better. In some cases, I think fan artists help to maintain the quality; If a fan artist is doing such an amazing job that they're selling hundreds of prints per month, the company needs to either up their game, hire a lawyer to serve a CaD notice or risk losing that potential income.

Incidentally, I heard a story a while ago about Marvel approaching a fan artist, informing them that they wanted to make their print an official piece of artwork. When the artist inquired as to how much they'd receive for it, Marvel told the artist that they wouldn't receive anything as the artist was using the character without license...

Um, okay, how about it?
What does that have to do with a studio boss being smeared by shady Union organizers as a dirty-bargaining tactic during a contentious 40's strike?

I'll play the "It was a hoax game" another day.

Disney....was not a good man.

Not a "hoax" so much as extortion--
Walt was too inexperienced in Hollywood to understand why his newer animators wanted to unionize, and the longer he held out, the more that the more criminally-tied organizers, who had already been on a roll for unionizing "all" the studios, were resorting to more effective leaning to accomplish their goals.

...And apart from rumors of Errol Flynn and Nazi spies, WHAT, pray tell, was the dirtiest never-work-in-this-town-again rumor you could spread in 30's Hollywood?

Not a "hoax" so much as extortion--
Walt was too inexperienced in Hollywood to understand why his newer animators wanted to unionize, and the longer he held out, the more that the more criminally-tied organizers, who had already been on a roll for unionizing "all" the studios, were resorting to more effective leaning to accomplish their goals.

...And apart from rumors of Errol Flynn and Nazi spies, WHAT, pray tell, was the dirtiest never-work-in-this-town-again rumor you could spread in 30's Hollywood?

Eh, sorry but there's some truth to his anti-Semitism. He may not have been full blown Nazi but...

Not a "hoax" so much as extortion--
Walt was too inexperienced in Hollywood to understand why his newer animators wanted to unionize, and the longer he held out, the more that the more criminally-tied organizers, who had already been on a roll for unionizing "all" the studios, were resorting to more effective leaning to accomplish their goals.

...And apart from rumors of Errol Flynn and Nazi spies, WHAT, pray tell, was the dirtiest never-work-in-this-town-again rumor you could spread in 30's Hollywood?

Eh, sorry but there's some truth to his anti-Semitism. He may not have been full blown Nazi but...

Being Anti-Semitic does not make you a Nazi. Being a Nazi is believing in the policies and Right Wing Movements of the National Socialist German Workers' Party.

meanwhile, unofficial comics "doujishin" is pretty much accepted in Japan, and as John says, it "serve[s] as a breeding ground for tomorrow’s professional manga artists." [1]

"The established cultural sense of Japanese morality and intelligence largely prevents creators and consumers from confusing official “authorized” publications with unofficial, unauthorized doujinshi homages." (ibid)
i guess Disney lacks the morality and intelligence. whichever they lack more is debatable.